Friction-clutch for traction-engines.



No. 690,536. Patented Ian. 7, I902.

v P. SWENSON.

FRICTION CLUTCH FOR TRACTION ENGINES.

(Application filed June 21, 1901.) (No Model.) 7 3 Shets-Sheetl.

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No. 590,536. Patented Jan. 7, I902.

, P. swlzusou. FRICTION CLUTCH FOR TRACTION ENGINES.

(Application, filed June 21 1901.)

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l/Zi/ea av. wa a UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

PAUL SWENSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

FRICTION-CLUTCH FOR TRACTION-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 690,536, dated January 7, 1902.

. Application filed June 21, 1901.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known'that I, PAUL SWENSON, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches for Traction-Engines, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the'art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to friction-clutches of the expansion type, and has -for its object to provide an improved clutch of this class with a viewbf securing increased efficiency.

To this end my invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices which will be hereinafter described and definlad in the claims.

y improved clutch is especially designed for use on tractionengines of the class now generally employed for operating threshing machines and many other purposes; and the clutch is illustrated in the drawings as ap plied to traction-engines.

In the said drawings, Figure l is a view chiefly in front elevation, with some parts re moved and others broken away, showing the friction-clutch in Working position on a traction-engine. Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal section on the line 00 00 of Fig. l'with some parts shown in plan and others broken away. Fig 3 is a viewohiefiy on the line w w of Fig. 1 with some of the parts of the clutch shown in elevation and others shown in radial section and with some portions broken away. Fig. 4 is a detail chiefly in vertical section on the line a: m of Fig. 3, but with the hub of the fly-wheel shown in axial section.

The crank-shaft 2 of the engine is mounted in suitable bearings secured to the shell 1 of the boiler in the customary way and is provided with the usual fly-Wheel pulley 3, keyed or otherwise made fast to the shaft. Alongside the fly-wheel pulley 3 is loosely mounted on the engine-shaft 2 a spider 4 of proper form to support the other cooperating parts of the friction-clutch. The spider 4 has an extended hub notched at its inner end and constantly engaging with a corresponding reversely-notched hub of the loose initial member 5 of the train of gears 5, 6, 7, and 8, con- Serial No. 65,437. (No model.)

jecting from the boiler-shell and the members 7 and 8 being secured to a counter-shaft 11, supported in suitable bearings projecting from the boiler-shell, and the members 9 being an integral part of the traction-wheels 10.

The friction-shoes 12 are carried by holders 13, suitably mounted for radial movement on the arms of the spider 4.. As shown, the shoes 3 have socket portions 01., which Work on dowel or guide studs 14, removably secured by setscrews 15 or otherwise in socketlugs a, formed integral with the outer ends of the spider-arms. The shoe-holders 13 are also provided with radial arms or'portions a ,.eX- tending radially inward and working in suitable guide-passages provided for the same in the arms of the spider. The friction-shoes are thus carried by the spider with freedom for radial motion thereon. Forimparting the radial motion to the shoe-holders 13 I provide novel devices in the nature of screw-action Spreaders. The screw-action spreaders include sectional rods 16 and 16, having screwthreaded engagement with each other, the outer member of which rod-sectionsto wit, 16is mounted for action on the shoe-holders l3 and the inner members of which rodsections 16 work as loose nuts within fixed nuts 17, fixed to the spider-arms. The rod section 16 has an external screw-thread, and the rod-section 16 is hollow and is provided both with internal and external threads. The internal thread of the rod-section 16 engages with the external thread of the rod-section 16, and the external thread of the rod-section 16 or loose nut engages with the thread of the fixednutlZ. Att-heirinnerendsthespreaderrod sections 16 are provided with pinions 18, which engage with the racks 19, formed integral with a shipper-collar 20, loosely moun ted, with freedom for sliding motion, on the extended hub of the spider 4. The shipper-collar 20 is subject to the short end of a bell long arm of the bell-crank shipper-lever 21 is attached an operating-rod 22, extending to a point within convenient reach of the engineer when in his usual position at the fire-box end of the engine. The racks 19 are shown as bearing againstantifriction-rollers 24, carried by bearing-brackets 25, shown as removably secured to the spider 4 in proper positions for the rollers 24 to act against the back surfaces of the racks 19. The racks 19 are located, preferably, one hundred and eighty degrees apart and engage from opposite sides. on the respective pinions 18 of the spreader-rod sections 16", operated thereby. Hence a shifting movement of the shipper-collar 20 length* wise of the spider-hub or engine-shaft will retate the spreader-screws in reverse directions, and thereby cause the latter to force the friction-shoes outward or inward together, according to which way the shipper-collar may be moved. As shown in the drawings, the shipper-collar 20 moves outward or toward the fiy-wheel pulley 3 to spread the shoes and force the same into engagement with the overhanging flange of the fly-wheel pulley and moves in the opposite direction to effect the release.

To afford means for readily taking up the wear and tear on the friction-shoes 12, the outer sections 16 of the spreader-rods are not rigidly made fast to the shoe-holders 13, but are slotted at their outer ends and are clamped to said holders by nutted bolts and washers, with the bolts 26 working through the slots in the ends of the rods. The outer ends of the rod-sections 16 bear against the heads of adjusting screw-bolts 27, which work in projecting or face lugs a on the arms a of the shoe-holders 13. Hence in the outward or spreading movement of the rods on the shoes a positive action is insured; but the throw can be varied by manipulating the adjusting-nuts 27, thereby alfording means to compensate for the wear and tear on the shoes. For the inward or releasing action the strain of course is comparatively light, and hence the connection afforded by the clamping-bolts 26 is sufficient for that purpose.

The pitches of the screw-threads on the spreader-rod members 16 and 16 and on the fixed nuts 17 are preferably such as to afford a cumulative action of the rod-sections in respect to the'fixed nuts 17. Otherwise stated, for any given rotary movement of the pinions 18 a radial or longitudinal movement will be imparted to the outer sections 16 of the spreader-rods equal to the sum of the pitch-lines of the threads of the fixed and the loose nut-11 6., the elements 17 and 16". Hence a small shifting movement of the shipper-collar 20 and the racks 19 carried thereby will impart a comparatively large radial movement to the friction-shoes. This affords a quick-action clutch and a sensitive clutch.

The leverage afiorded by the double screws in combination with the pinions, racks, and bell-crank shipper-lever enables the shoes to be set in their clutching posit-ion under requi- I site friction for any required Work without any large amount of power being required for the purpose from the engineer or other person manipulating the rod 22. Otherwise stated, the clutch is easy to set in clutching position.

Anotherimportant advantage of this clutch, with my screw-action spreader, is the fact that the screw devices will of themselves hold the shoes in their set or clutching position. No special lock is required for the purpose.

It is a matter of indifference whether the hand-lever (not shown) applied to the manipulating-rod 22 have a lock-segment or not. The screws and the racks and the pinions will hold the shoes in whatever position they may be set. The shippercollar or screwactuating device might take other forms and be otherwise mounted as long as it is capable of imparting the necessary motion to the spreading-rods. The shoe-holders might of course be otherwise mounted as long as they are subject to the action of the spreadingscrews.

The double form of the screws is very desirable, and I would not consider a single screw as the full mechanical equivalent of the double screw, for the reason that the double screw affords advantages not securable with the single screw.

The clutch hereinbefore fully described is especially well adapted for use on tractionengines of the kind now generally employed to operate threshing-machines. WVhen thresh ing, the traction-train of course stands idle,- and motion is communicated from the fiywheel pulley 3 through a suitable belt to the threshing cylinder. In setting the engine in respect to the threshing-machine it is neces-' sary to back up in the belt. For that purpose the clutch must be thrown into its closed position, so as to bring the traction-train into action; but the pull on the belt must be a yielding one, or the belt will break. Hence the clutch must be sensitive in its action to meet these requirements. This clutch does the work, fully meeting these peculiar oonditions, as demonstrated in actual usage. On the other hand, when using the engine on the'road or on soft ground in the field as a traction-engine to propel not only its own weight, but to pull the separator, water-tender, &c., the clutch must be a very powerful one. Otherwise stated, the spreader must be capable of being set under powerful friction, sufficient to move the heaviest load under the greatest emergency pull. This clutch will do, the work. It is both sensitive and strong.

While especially designed for use on traction-engines, as above stated, it will of course be understood that my improved clutch is capable of general application in the arts to all the uses for which expansion frictionclutches may be applied.

The construction may of course be changed Ice in detail without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In an expansible friction-clutch,the combination with a movable shoe-equipped holder and a relatively fixed resistance nut or block, of a sectional spreading -rod, the internal member of which is connected to said shoeholder, and the external member of which has internal and external screw-threads engaging, respectively, said internal rod-section and said resistance nut or block, and an actuating device applied to impart a screw action to said spreading-rod, substantially as described.

2. In an expansible friction-clutch,the combination with a movable shoe-equipped holder and a relatively fixed resistance nut or block, of a sectional spreading rod the internal member of which is connected to said shoeholder and the external member of which has internal and external screw-threads engaging, respectively, said internal rod-section and said resistance nut or block, a pinion on said external rodsection, a rack engaging member of the traction-train of gears, shoeequipped holders mounted for radial movements on said spider or head, resistance nuts or blocks fixed on said spider or head, sectional spreading-rods the internal members of which are connected to said shoe-holders and the external members of which have internal and external screw-threads engaging respectively, said internal rod-sections and said resistance-nuts, pinions on said external rod-sections, racks engaging said pinion, and a shipper-collar mounted on the external hub of said spider and connected to said racks, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL SWENSON; Witnesses:

F. E. KENASTON, F, D; MERCHANT. 

